Meghalaya filmmakers express concerns over film policy, government promises to take action

Commissioner and Secretary, Information and Public Relations (I&PR) Department, Vijay Kumar Mantri, on May 22, participated in wide-ranging discussions with eminent filmmakers from Meghalaya. The aim of the meeting was to discuss the challenges facing the film industry in the state and to take into account the concerns of filmmakers in the film policy.

The participants included esteemed directors such as Dominic Sangma, Pradip Kurbah, Commander Shangpliang, Syiemlieh Section and Simi Khongthiang, reclusive female filmmaker Jaintia, among others present at the meeting.

Speaking to India Today NE, Simi Khongthiang stressed the urgent need for a special department to oversee film production in the state. “There has been no department dealing with cinematography in our country for a long time. This is the main concern of filmmakers,” she said. Khongthiang also stressed the importance of creating more theaters in districts and in Shillong itself.

Moreover, the emergence of OTT platforms was a topic of discussion as the upcoming release of ‘Hello Meghalaya’ opens up new opportunities for filmmakers. “We have proposed to the government that the OTT platform should also be included in film policy and culture,” Khongthiang said, confirming the change in viewing habits after the Covid-19 pandemic.

Highlighting another key point, Khongtiang said, “A very important thing is that the commissioner has suggested organizing a film festival in Meghalaya. We have two associations here – the Meghalaya Filmmakers Association, of which Commander Shangpliang is the president, and the Film Association for Cinematic Excellence in Shillong (FACES), of which I am the president. The Commissioner advised us to combine these two associations and organize a Film Festival together. So yes, hopefully we can make this Film Festival a reality soon.

Dominic Sangma, another prominent filmmaker from Meghalaya, expressed cautious optimism about the outcome of the meeting. “We cannot say anything about the outcome at this time as it was a meeting to discuss politics in Meghalaya,” he said. Sangma stressed that while the meeting was positive, concrete actions were needed to make the policy a reality.

The filmmakers have already developed a comprehensive policy that takes into account input from various stakeholders, including institutions such as St. Anthony’s College. Sangma, however, stressed that for the policy to be valid, it must be passed in the Constituent Assembly in the form of an Act. “Until the bill is adopted, there is no concrete policy yet,” he said.

Despite the uncertainty, the Commissioner’s approach and sincerity encouraged the filmmakers. “Mr. Mantri seems to be quite sincere about the whole matter,” Sangma noted, expressing hope that unlike previous discussions, this meeting would yield tangible results.

Another achievement is Dominic Sangma’s film “Delight”, which explores the cultural and spiritual sphere of the Garo community, which was a universal success in France. Released in over 50 theaters by Capricci Cinema in association with Anna Films Shillong, “Rapture” has bagged the prestigious label of the Groupement National des Cinémas de Recherche (GNCR), a collective of art house exhibitors in France. The film was also included in IMDB’s list of top 10 Indian films of 2023, ranking ninth with a rating of 6.8.

Sangma expressed his pride in this achievement, stating, “He is doing very well. This is something that has never happened like this with Garo’s independent films. “I don’t think any independent art film has been released in France like this before.” He hopes that this success will encourage young filmmakers to dream big and show the world their deep-rooted stories.